House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said 80 percent of the networks operated within the United States are in the private sector, making closer communications between government and business essential when tackling cyber security issues. Speaking at a cyber summit in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 8, Rogers emphasized the importance of passing new cyber policy to protect the nation’s networks. In April, the House approved H.R. 624, the Cyber Intelligence and Sharing Protection Act, which is meant to help businesses shield their networks from advanced cyber attacks. Rogers and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), the committee’s ranking member, introduced the legislation, which has gone to the Senate for consideration. Aside from the distraction of the government shutdown, Rogers said another obstacle facing the bill’s path to enactment are misconceptions of the government’s cyber practices in wake of the Edward Snowden leaks showing the extent of clandestine government eavesdropping. Rogers said H.R. 624 is about sharing cyber threat information in real time. The committee has also been working on “confidence builders” to provide more transparency to the public, he said. (See also Taking a Byte out of Cyber Operations.)
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
